A Late Duet
by inufun101
Summary: A cry for help can either be explicit or implicit. Rhodey was there to save Tony when the request was made loud and clear. Steve, on the other hand, had a little bit more trouble noticing his but once the truth was right in front of him he would not back down. Steve still hated bullies. Warning for domestic violence issues. Rhodey/Tony, Tony/Steve
1. Chapter 1

**A Late Duet **

_A late duet is from a heart's regret. _

**Summary: **A cry for help can either be explicit or implicit. Rhodey was there to save Tony when the request was made loud and clear. Steve, on the other hand, had a little bit more trouble noticing his but once the truth was right in front of him he would not back down. Steve still hated bullies.

**Author's Notes: **This story will have language, sexually suggestive material, and incidents of domestic violence. My goal is to show a more complex view inside this world. I am not promoting or even justifying domestic violence but I am painting a portrait on the victim so people can perhaps begin to understand how the situation may not be so easy to escape. I will be speaking from different views points and the love triangle will consist of men. If that bothers you, then do not read.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the Marvel Comics.

Enjoy!

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There is one word in the English dictionary that when spoken instills in the listener an instant sense of compassion. Sadly, some may not act beyond this feeling for a number of reasons including inconvenience or even inadequacy which is understandable but for a certain super soldier the thought of inaction no matter the difficulties is simply impossible and a cry for help will never be ignored.

It was one morning when Steve found himself in such a situation. The Avengers were gathered around the very large, sleek kitchen island because everything in the tower was always made 'in style' (Tony's words). It was mid-morning and Bruce was preparing some spicy curry for everyone. Well, really those who were brave or stupid enough to try it - so mainly Thor and Clint. There was a heavy knock at the front door and Steve decide that it was a great escape plan from being persuaded to suffer from a tortured throat.

"The spices I use may cause some indigestion if you are not use to it." Bruce shyly admitted to the overeager archer.

"Naw. I'm sure I've had worst in the circus. You ate and didn't ask a damn question about what's in it. We called it survival."

Steve laughed at the antics of his friends. He was sure if Stark was here he would have added something witty in remark but he had been absent from all of the team building activities for the last couple of days. Steve might go and check up on him soon. It would be best if all of the team members got to know each other. Stark was no exception as much as he would argue the contrary. Speaking of Tony, when Steve opened the door it was to be face to face with one of the billionaire's friend Lieutenant James 'Rhodey' Rhodes.

Steve had only seen Rhodey a small number of times and had only official spoken to him once when he came to the Tower for a party. When he had first seen the officer talking to Tony with so much familiarity, he was confused as to how that was even possible. Steve had heard that Tony had figuratively and literally given the middle finger to the military when they asked for his Ironman blueprints in the hopes of manufacturing his suit. Yet, here was the billionaire enthusiastically hugging a sharply dressed uniform wearing man with no shame as the man pushed him away with an indulgent smile.

Pepper must have seen the inquiry on his face because as she stood beside him and the rest of the Avenger, she told them about the two's longtime friendship since college along with some stories to add visual. Steve's attention was going in and out as his observation of the friends brought up nostalgia and jealously all at once.

Their interaction was so similar to a friendship he once had and deeply missed. One strong willed lady killer who always dragged along the unwilling but usually amused friend into his shenanigans.

Looking at Tony and Rhodey just made him see Steve and Bucky. But the pain of such thinking was truly breathtaking for he had lost his friend to his own inadequacy. If it wasn't for Steve, Bucky could have lead a normal life by serving his country, going back home, and starting a family with a great dame something his friend often secretly daydreamed about when it was only just the two of them.

But instead he had let his best friend go as he dangled helplessly off a precipice. He had needed Steve to be the super soldier he was produced to be but unsurprisingly that kid from Brooklyn had failed all expectations. He was supposed to help win the war. Instead he had crashed a plane and ended up decades into the future.

He wasn't good enough then and for some unfathomable reason he felt like he had failed again now. Howard's son did not like him. They barely talked to each other. He had inferred it was because of Tony's distain for anything military knowing that he was seeking redemption from a past life but right in his very face his assumption was burning brilliantly and all that was left was the truth. Tony did not like Steve. Only Steve.

_'Everything special out of you came from a bottle." Tony practically sneered. _

Tony was born a genius. Nobody gave it to him. And that made Steve feel unworthy in comparison. Just as he had been every time he was left bruised and bloody in an alley after a fight, every time a recruiter tried to gently decline his request to enlist in the military, and most importantly that one moment watching the face of his closest friend disappear right before his eyes.

While trying to blink away the stinging of tears, Steve walked away from the group right in the middle of Pepper talking. He ignored the questioning stares and shouts to his retreating figure and left the party a little early than originally planned. He had gone up to his room and cried all night. He had never felt so alone.

That moment of complete despair came rushing back to the Captain as he faced the dark skinned man. Steve's eyebrows tightened unintentionally and his words came out a little harsher than necessary as he issued a brief greeting and no salute. It caught him off guard but he was thankful that Rhodey didn't seem to notice. Instead, the man's eyes were searching behind him looking like he was calculating the occupants of the room.

"Have you heard from Tony? I am looking for Tony." Steve could tell he was distracted.

"No, I have not. I assume he is downstairs in his lab. Nobody has seen him for a couple of days."

Rhodey's head jerked towards him showing disbelief.

"Does nobody here give a shit about him?" His voice had risen to an authoritative level equally stern and judging. As a result, his words had carried and the rest of the conversation occurring inside the kitchen ceased.

"Who is that Steve?" Clint bluntly shouted out towards the door. Rhodey brushed roughly passed his fellow solider into the main hallway of the living room towards the Avengers.

When he landed in front of them his eyes scanned around to see Bruce and Thor standing beside the stove with crushed eggs littering the floor as a result of the latter being unable to control his strength. Clint was perched on the kitchen island with his arrows laid out beside him as he was in the middle of chewing on the powered doughnut in his mouth with Natasha sitting on one of the barstools after just finishing throwing a doughnut in the air for her partner to shoot through. Rhodey's stare went from confusion, to anger, and settled on disgust.

"So let me get this straight. This man is allowing you people to stay in his home, sleep in his rooms, waste up his food. " His hands motioned towards the two messes "And yet none of you give a rat's ass if he is missing for a couple of days!" He whirled on each one of them with a wild look.

Steve found himself becoming a little perturbed as well. "I do not believe there is a need for that kind of language sir. I can speak for the group in stating that we are all very grateful for Mr. Stark giving us his aid. We respect him for his kindness and as a result we respect his space as well. He has made it very clear not to bother him when he is in one of his _moods_ so we backed off."

"Well, Tony is most definitely not in one of his moods as you say Captain Rodgers. Unless you consider being kidnapped a mood."

All eyes went wide at once.

"Kidnapped? What do you mean?" Bruce breathing picked up a little as he asked the question. Rhodey gave him a wary look as if finally realizing who he was in a room with.

"A little over an hour ago I received a frantic call from Pepper saying that Jarvis had sent her a voice message of Tony breathing harshly and asking for help. I immediately rushed over here to check on the situation myself. "

"Shit. Wow. I wonder why Jarvis didn't tell us about it?" Clint asked as he jumped down from the island.

"Yes, it seems like an important issue to raise to Stark's brother in arms." Thor questioned.

"I guess we can ask the man once he is returned home." Steve answered diplomatically.

"Yeah, you can deal with those issues later. As of now, we need to find him. Too much time has already passed." Rhodey's steady voice contradicted with the worry clearly evident on his face.

As all the other Avengers started to move from their spots, developing a plan as they went, Steve placed a hand on the tense man's shoulder trying to give him some comfort. "Don't worry Lieutenant, we'll find him. Ironman can handle himself."

Rhodey was unmoved. "Ironman yes, Tony no. Last time I lost him he got a large metal contraption in his chest and changed his whole life- style in the blink of an eye. Afterwards, he almost died from poisoning. Then just a month ago, he straps himself to a nuclear bomb and almost gets stuck in space. Those stressors are hard for anyone to handle never mind Tony Stark. We will find him. I know, Captain. But what worries me is what happens afterwards. How will he come through it?"

Steve didn't know what to say. Rhodey didn't seem surprised.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Steve wasn't there when they eventually found Tony, a day and a half later. The group had separated in order to follow several leads at once. Iron Patriot had joined in the fray and was partnered with Romanoff who provided oversight. From the report, it seemed like the rescue hadn't included too much action... conspicuously so.

The duo had ambushed a small band of militants in an abandoned warehouse in Queens. The Black Widow was unable to utilize her uniquely, acquired set of skills to find out the person responsible because as soon as the capturers caught sight of the iron suit, they unanimously committed suicide via hidden packets of cyanide sheltered in their teeth. Natasha said they all went down relatively quickly, leaving only Tony alone lying on a metal table strapped down, bleeding, and unconscious.

He was transported to the nearest hospital for stabilization. Or rather, the Iron Patriot flew Stark there because the soldier blatantly refused to hand his friend over to arriving agents' care.

At the hospital Fury tried to order Rhodey to allow the transfer explaining to him that Tony would have more protection in their care. Rhodey mused loudly why he hadn't been protected before. The argument escalated from there until no SHIELD agents or Avenger were allowed entrance into the hospital under the threat of a face full of reactor energy.

It took several days of a less direct style of persuading by Pepper that was absent of the dick measuring contest before Rhodey acquiesced. By this time Tony was relatively stable, so that same day he was immediately moved to the SHIELD facility downtown.

When more information was shared about Tony's condition. Everyone was shocked at his body's rap sheet. He had sustained two broken fingers, a fractured radius, a dislocated shoulder and hip, two broken ribs, a twisted ankle, minor internal bleeding all compounded with the bruises and cuts that completely littered his body. And the worst part was that the man was also in a coma. By the time the Captain was finally able to visit Tony in the hospital, the patient had been unconscious for over a week.

It had kept the soldier up all hours of the night, thinking of Tony lying there in that hostile place getting tortured while all of his colleagues had completely disregarded his absence. The guilt was soul-crushing. He didn't know how he could even face the man again. But Steve wasn't a coward so he promised to at least try and make amends. If Tony didn't accept them, then that would be Steve's punishment. Something he felt was rightly deserved.

When Steve walked into the waiting area, he was easily able to spot the red headed CEO as she paced the waiting room, texting furiously. "Ms. Potts?" She looked up at the him confused for a moment before she offered him a tired smile. Though he would never mention it out loud on account of manners, Pepper looked at least five years older since he last saw her.

"Hello, Steve. I am so glad you could come by." She motioned for him to copy her as she sat down in the nearest seat.

"Yes, well we have all been really worried about Tony and just wanted to hear if there has been any updates?" Steve replied.

"No, I am afraid not. But the doctors believe that his mind and body is only recuperating from the trauma. They do not think that his current state will be permanent." She was trying valiantly, but Steve could see how distressed this whole thing was for her.

Steve looked around the waiting room. "Are you here alone, Ms. Potts. If I had known that you were waiting here all by yourself, I would have fought harder to come earlier."

"Thank you Steve. But you don't need to worry. Rhodney has been here with me this whole time. He actually just left a few moments ago to go outside and smoke. Though he's not really a smoker. Just needed to relax I guess." Pepper's voice sounded almost envious.

Steve nodded. "Oh yes, well I can understand. I know he has been really worried about him too."

Pepper's snort caught them both of guard. "I'm sorry. But that's a huge understatement."

Steve was confused. "What do you mean?"

Pepper contemplated her next words. "How do you feel about homosexuals Steve?" She said without preamble.

The soldier nearly choked on air. "What does that have to do with anything ma'am?" His face reddened to epic proportions.

Under normal circumstances, Pepper would have laughed but she didn't instead she grimaced. "It's just that what I'm about to say may be unexpected for someone who was raised in the 40s. Times were different then."

"Yes, they were. But I would never judge someone based on who they want to love. I was relieved to hear that people are more accepting now. But why is that relevant?"

"Well, I don't normally like to gossip about Tony's private affairs but from the feeling I'm getting now, I'm sure it will soon come to light anyway. I was going to preparing you. I didn't want to see you react negatively to Tony."

"I won't ma'am. I can promise you that."

"You have before." Pepper retorted.

Steve knew she was referring to the two heroes' heated spat on the Hellicarrier.

"And I regretted it immediately." Steve said firmly.

Pepper searched in his eyes until it seemed she found what she was looking for and nodded. "Good." She leaned back in her chair. "I left a few parts off about the whole history of Rhodey and Tony. They dated in college."

Steve's eyebrows rose. "But didn't you and Tony date as well?" His eyes widened in realization. "So Tony likes-"

"Tony will hit anything that moves. But his preference, at least to the public, has always been women. Yet, Rhodey was different. Tony told me it was rare for him to feel something so real for someone else be them man or woman." Pepper sighed.

"But then what happened? Why aren't they still together. They seem pretty close now." Steve questioned.

"Once Rhodey joined the Air Force, they couldn't handle the distance. It unnerved Tony greatly the amount of danger Rhodey was constantly in. He had only just lost his parents a few years before and couldn't handle losing someone else so close to him. So Tony did what he does best, he pushed Rhodey away until things fell apart and they became distant. It wasn't until he was older and had a more active role in the company's weapon production that the two met up again. They've been close ever since."

Steve knew of the deep seeded loneliness that you suffered when you lost your only family. He had become an orphan when he was five. He could understand why Tony didn't want to relive losing another.

He knew it very well.

"Why are you telling me this Ms. Potts?" Steve asked.

"Because Rhodey is still in love with Tony, he's always been. But Tony the fool that he is doesn't believe he deserves him - or love. I tried to show him myself since Rhodey has stayed quiet this whole time but it wasn't enough. Now with everything that has happened, I don't think Jim will wait any longer. He can't go back to what they were before. They are either going to come together or fall apart. I just hope that Rhodey is a better partner than I."

She paused as she tried to collect herself as her voice cracked. Yet, before Steve could try to provide comfort, the woman's eyes steeled and she was back to exhibiting the protectiveness of a momma bear. "So like I said before, if something were to occur I didn't want Tony's hero treating him with disdain."

Steve was fixated on one word. "Hero? I sorry but I'm afraid you're mistaken ma'am."

It was Pepper's turn to give him a bewildered look. "No, I'm not. Tony has been your biggest fan since he took his first breath. I've never seen the man so happy once he heard that you had finally been found. I swear he started hyperventilating."

Steve blushed. "But he doesn't talk to me. He practically walks out of a room whenever I entered." He stated bluntly.

"Well, Tony wasn't the only Stark obsessed with you. Howard spent years and millions searching for you, sometimes even neglecting his own family in his pursuit." Pepper gave him a sympathetic look. "He has a love/hate relationship with Captain America. You can't expect him to get over it quickly."

"But I am not always Captain America, Ms. Potts. I am Steve Rogers as well and I didn't ask for Howard to do any of that."

She placed a hand over his and squeezed tightly. "Well then, you just have to show him the difference. And for what it's worth, I think Steve Rogers is a great guy." Her smile was infectious and Steve easily found himself responding in turn.

Once they separated, Pepper went back to texting while Steve tried to collect his thoughts.

A few minutes later, Rhodey entered the room and Steve quickly tried to hide his blush. Steve was glad to realize, after some internal evaluation, that this physical reaction was just because they had been discussing some personal information about the man earlier and not because of what the information entailed. Steve felt no differently about the man, if anything he was more saddened by the emotional plight he must be going through.

They gave nods of acknowledgement towards one another. Rhodey took a seat across from them, picked up a magazine and began to skim through it. Steve agreed that anymore conversation wasn't needed so he opened up his satchel and pulled out his sketching pad. The Captain didn't notice the other man's raised eyebrow, instead he turned to a fresh page and begin to outline the edges of a portrait.

He tried to not focus on the fact that he had started off with Tony's smile.

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** I will be changing some of the history around about our heroes to suit my needs. Just as a warning. Thanks for reading!**


End file.
